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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

the kiln was loaded full of test pieces. i was trying to accomplish two things in this firing. it was composed completely of pieces that i had made for the dual purpose of relearning to throw (as all you potters out there know, you have to relearn to throw after a long break) but these pieces would also serve as giant test pieces for the glazes i am experimenting with. let me explain... i have always fired in a gas reduction kiln or a salt kiln. these are often the really large kilns you see built out of bricks. they are fired using gas or propane as their means of a heat source as opposed the smaller commercially manufactured kiln i am using now that is powered by electricity.

this adventure is new for me. while i have some experience firing electric with my 4-H pottery, using an electric kiln as my sole means of producing pottery is completely new. the atmosphere inside the kiln is completely different than that inside a reduction kiln and especially a salt kiln (which is a gas kiln but salt is added during the firing). i am branching out into really new territory. i tested 6 new glazes as well as 8 variations of the ash glazes that i love so much. i am very pleased with ash glazes. below is an example of one of the ash glazes with melted glass in the bottom of the bowl:

i was also completely stoked about the turquoise pictured inside the mug on the top and the temmoku pictured in the tumbler on the bottom of the picture:

the pumpkin (upper left, pay no attention to not-so-great glaze application, it is just a test piece after all!) which will i will pair end up pairing with an ash glaze create finishes similar to my reduction fired work...

overall there was some serious misses, but more than that, there were some serious hits! i am so pleased! with any luck (fingers crossed) and a lot of work, i hope to have a solid collection of marketable and sell-able pottery by the end of the month!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

so i am finally truly on my own here in BFT. finally! truly! its a beautiful thing....mostly.

i have been mixing glazes the last two days. actually, not much mixing going on. you see, i am finally truly on my own! which also means...there is no one to call when i run out of glaze materials. nope, there is no one to run to with questions about glazes and recipes and substitutions. its intimidating sometimes. but, what i have done is educated myself, greatly. i have poured over my ceramics books for hours. i have scoured the internet for answers. and for the most part, i have answered all my own questions! i am one that learns best by doing. if i figure it out myself i will not forget. but i am also lazy. i do miss ambling into the next room to ask some glaze chemistry nerd what to do. instead, i am figuring it out on my own. its actually very gratifying! who knew?

oh dear god!!!! i am becoming a glaze nerd. and the best part is...I LOVE IT!

Monday, May 03, 2010

and here we go! the first bisque fire was on thursday! hurray! it was great day. there was a steady stream of folks stopping by the studio to congratulate me. i can't even begin to explain the joy that brings me! not only am i lucky enough to live my dream, but the support i have received makes me feel insanely blessed and incredibly grateful. i am not sure how i got to be so lucky but there isnt a minute where i don't feel it in my heart!

trista hudzik pottery on facebook

"To work with clay is to be in touch with the taproot of life.'' ~Shoji Hamada

"The hand leads to the mind..." -Suze Lindsay

"Garth Clark wrote somewhere that with paintings and sculpture you can bring an observer into personal space but that only a cup taken into the mouth brings the art into intimate space. I enjoy this aspect of being a potter the most."

-Joseph Bennion, Horseshoe Mountain Pottery

"Making pots isn't about making pots. You can't let pots get in the way of making pots, like you can't let fishing get in the way of going fishing. What making pots is about; is your self - it is a way of life. About the way you think, about the way your mind is; it's about what has affected you all your life. " -Don Reitz

About Me

Artist and Potter. Treehugger and Lover of Dirt. I make handmade pottery, mostly for the table, influenced by traditional North Carolina pottery and my fascination with folk art, vintage floral prints and antique table ware. This blog is to document my adventures as a potter.